“The threat of anything other than a peaceful transfer of power cannot go without comment. The threats to our democracy are too real and too numerous some 40 days before the election to ignore. These threats are direct threats to our children’s futures and thus they are of grave interest to us and to all who work with us. ”
The peaceful transfer of power between presidents and between parties is a hallowed feature of American constitutional democracy. This week President Trump refused to endorse a peaceful transfer of power if former Vice President Biden is elected this fall. This is a scary prospect and one that might presage confusion and possibly violence if the election does not go the President’s way.
Capita is a nonpartisan, independent ideas lab. Our focus is resolutely on building a future in which all young children and families flourish. Typically we do that by proposing creative new ideas and insights to support the work of policymakers, funders, advocates and activists, frontline providers, parents, and other caregivers. We do not endorse candidates for office. Guarding our independence is vital to the success of our work.
However, the threat of anything other than a peaceful transfer of power cannot go without comment. The threats to our democracy are too real and too numerous some 40 days before the election to ignore. These threats are direct threats to our children’s futures and thus they are of grave interest to us and to all who work with us.
Without a President willing to endorse the long-standing principle of a peaceful transfer of power, without a respect for the rule of law, and a devotion to the constitutional obligations that impose themselves upon every American, but especially those entrusted by the People with the administration of our laws, nothing else for which we might advocate is possible.
But let’s be even clearer: Trump’s goal in choosing not to endorse a peaceful transfer of power isn’t just so he can stay in power. It is to undermine the legitimacy of our elections up and down the ballot, to sow distrust in our democratic institutions, and erode the People’s freedom to act.
Without a functioning constitutional order, we cannot save child care. We cannot enact paid parental leave. We cannot end child poverty. We cannot fight systemic racism. We cannot end police brutality. We cannot build the Beloved Community. We cannot fight for an education worthy of every child in a free society. We cannot hand on to our children a country in which their voice and their future matters regardless of how rich and well-connected their parents are. In short, fighting for the American Dream depends upon fighting to save our democracy every day between now and January 20th.
To say that 2020 has been an unprecedented year is now cliche, but the direct, overt attacks on our democracy by the President are truly something never before seen in the almost two and a half centuries of our experiment in self-government. Those attacks must be met with clear and forceful condemnation, and it is incumbent upon each of us to rise to the challenge of this moment by remaining vigilant in the defense of our democratic institutions. They are not perfect, but their functioning is required for us to build a “fair prosperity and a just society” for every child and generations of Americans yet unborn.
This is the work that our children need from us in the months ahead. Let’s raise our voices to let our members of Congress and our state legislators know that they cannot expect to be on the side of children if they aren’t also on the side of democratic order. Let’s make sure they hear from us that pledges to save child care are meaningless if they aren’t also willing to protect our future from threats of political violence. Let them hear from us that peace in our homes, our communities, across our country, and around the world is the foundation for a flourishing future for every child.
This is not a drill.